Bean Beasts dishes up a flexible tower defense experience where prudent turret placement and frequent use of your Bean companions keep battles energetic. It can get punishing if you rush past the optional objectives, but it’s a satisfying strategy loop and a surprisingly effective UI meaning the TD should scout out these Beasts.

Tower defense as a genre hasn't really grabbed my attention as a Switch user, but Bean Beasts has made me think I need to pay more attention for potential hidden gems like this one. The steady drip feed of unlockables means there's always something new to try, especially if your tried-and-true tactics don't work on a particular stage, and the initial learning curve quickly gives way to a satisfying challenge that ebbs and flows across the various biomes, boss fights, and special levels with an endless number of enemies. Frequent but short loading screens are a minor nuisance, but they're worth the price of admission for this incredible entry in the tower defense pantheon. The name might not do it any favors, but don't judge these Bean Beasts by their cover. There's plenty of tasty meat on these bones.

Bean Beasts is a unique tower defence game with great visuals and addictive gameplay, but the punishing boss fights can make it feel unfair and frustrating.